If you didn’t think there was a structured university to learn all about social media, you are wrong. After reading the book, Engage, The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web, by Brian Solis with a forward by Ashton Kutcher, you will have your Master’s degree!
What I loved about the book is that it focuses on sociology and anthropology and how our world is changing with the use of social media.
The beginning chapters offer basic 101 techniques from giving your brand a personality to how to use and monitor analytics. It also gives some interesting case studies that are different and thought provoking. Solis also discusses podcasts, live casting (live streaming video), and he gives strong appeals on how social media is changing the landscape of community relations and focus groups.
What I found useful was how he helps focus the reader by asking questions such as:
1) What is it that you want to accomplish with social media?
2) Who are you trying to reach?
3) What are your core values and how are they portrayed in social media?
4) How does my personal brand affect the company brand?
It was interesting to read that many Facebook pages have multiple personalities. He suggests having one voice and that voice is the same throughout the site. For example, if you have a Facebook “like” page, you may want that page to come from your CEO or a member of your staff instead of coming from a “company” voice that has no personality and has no connection with the community.
Brian Solis writes: “The best ways to engage, help, guide and build communities are driven by anthropology, sociology, and psychology and are connected through technology. Technology will evolve, adapt, and pioneer new applications that help us in our mission to increase brand awareness through relevance and resonance through engagement.” I thought that statement summed it up.
I was also impressed with his conversation prism. Brian Solis is saying that social media is not just about Facebook; it’s a whole Eco structure that you need to build for each brand that you manage.
I also found that his use of finding keywords for each client was interesting. These keywords may have nothing to do with your or your clients’ businesses, but they are important trends to follow. For example, you may target surfing if you have a real estate firm and live in a beach community.
What Solis does with the book is he enables a beginner or even an experienced social media wiz to structure and develop a strategic plan with solid metrics.
I was impressed with the book and would highly recommend it to anyone in the social media business or for someone just starting out. Remember the beginning is elementary but once you delve into the book, you won’t be able to put it down!
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Article first published as Book Review: Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web by Brian Solis on Blogcritics.
